Banks emerge winners from final post-crisis capital rules

Bloomberg Banks emerged relatively unscathed from global regulators’ final batch of post-crisis capital rules, with few lenders needing to raise major new funds. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision on December 7 issued new rules on how banks estimate the risk of mortgages, loans and other assets. The compromise, reached after fierce lobbying by the industry, will cause “no significant ...

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PBOC to hold rates after Federal hike

Bloomberg The People’s Bank of China will refrain from raising open-market interest rates even if the US Federal Reserve decides to increase borrowing costs next week, according to a Bloomberg survey. More than 80 percent of 32 economists, analysts and traders said that the PBOC will maintain its current rates on reverse-repurchase agreements, which guide the cost of funding in ...

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Nordea Bank targets 500 bankers in Finland job cuts

Bloomberg Nordea Bank AB will approach about 500 employees in Finland as it starts acting on a program announced in October to cut thousands of jobs. The biggest Nordic bank will ax about 420 jobs and move another 50 to Estonia and Poland, Nordea said on its website. The reductions are equivalent to about 6 percent of its workforce in ...

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Good times for credit finally end next year, says Societe Generale

Bloomberg The great credit party that’s taken yield premiums in major markets down around lowest in a decade is probably months away from an end, as central banks normalise monetary policy and the economic outlook softens, Societe Generale SA predicts. “We expect next year to be a transition year, when the ultra-low yield environment finally starts to lose its grip,” ...

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Brexit gives Barclays headache as fewer employees exit

Bloomberg Jes Staley’s latest problem at Barclays Plc? Not enough people want to leave. The bank has seen a decline in staff voluntarily leaving in the aftermath of Brexit, which managers are attributing partly to fears their positions may be relocated if they switch to a rival less tied to London, according to people familiar with the trend. The lower ...

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Lufthansa’s concessions to EU over Air Berlin may fall short

Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG has to do more to allay European Union concerns about its takeover of most of Air Berlin Plc after offering concessions that won’t fully appease regulators, according to two people familiar with the process. Lufthansa would need to improve upon its offer to cede landing rights of Air Berlin’s Niki arm in order to win approval ...

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Ryanair faces strike threat across Europe

Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc faces its first-ever strike as crews in Italy prepare to walk out as part of a push for unionisation and company-wide contracts, and staff in six other countriesconsider action. Pilots and flight attendants in Italy plan to walk off the job for four hours from 1 pm local time on December 15, according two unions. Workers ...

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British Airways chief Cruz defends ‘no free meals’ plan

Bloomberg British Airways (BA) Chief Executive Officer Alex Cruz defended his decision to start charging for food on short-haul routes, saying the measure was necessary in order to compete in an environment of falling ticket prices. “Given some of the fares in the marketplace, we make no apology for making ourselves more efficient in various ways so we can consistently ...

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Louis Vuitton turns to Facebook bot to chat up customers online

Bloomberg Louis Vuitton is bringing in some robotic help for the holidays. The maker of $1,370 canvas duffle bags and $575 monogram belts has launched a “virtual adviser” on Facebook Messenger for US clients, Palo Alto, California-based AI startup Mode.ai said in a statement. The chatbot will answer queries for all things Louis Vuitton: searching the brand’s online catalog, pulling ...

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Labour woes hinder retailers’ goal of challenging Amazon.com

Bloomberg Brick-and-mortar retailers hoping to fend off Amazon.com Inc. need to deploy the one weapon that could set them apart: top-notch customer service, provided by actual humans. But making that goal a reality relies on something they’ve not really invested in—well-trained employees with the kinds of wages and regular hours that make them want to stick around. This illustrates traditional ...

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